Many agricultural combines or harvesters use a rotary threshing and/or separating system. The system typically includes at least one rotor drivingly rotated within a rotor housing including a perforated concave spaced radially outwardly thereof. The rotor will often have a frusto-conical inlet end having a helical flight or flights therearound for conveying a flow of crop material into a space between the rotor and the housing. The main body of the rotor will typically have an array or layout of threshing elements, typically rasp bars, which protrude radially outwardly therefrom into the space for conveying a mat of the crop material along a helical path through the space. Rasp bars cooperate with the concave to separate larger components of the crop, namely crop residue commonly referred to as straw, which includes stalks, stems, cobs and the like, from the smaller grain and material other than grain (MOG).
Currently, research in the field of threshing systems is typically being completed empirically. That is, problems are observed, and changes are made based upon visual, horsepower (torque and speed), loss, wear, and other easily observed or measured parameters. However, during operation of agricultural combines or harvesters, very little of the reactions occurring inside of threshing systems are truly understood due to the lack of access to the system.
Accordingly, there is a need for a threshing element that at least partially addresses the problems identified above. More specifically, there is a need for a threshing element(s) that can be configured in a manner permitting threshing forces to be measured in order to optimize operation of agricultural combines or harvesters and/or identify trouble areas inside the threshing systems.